King of the Sand Castle
by VisionaryDame
Summary: The Straw Hats are relaxing on an island, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper have decided to build a sand castle to pass the time. Upon completion, they realize that, for a king to rule a castle, they needed a queen. It's a good thing their good friend Catherine just so happened to be around at the most opportune time to help solve their dilemma.


"Luffy?" Catherine Morikawa called out as she got off the Going Merry, glancing around the beach that the crew had decided to stay on to rest for a while. Her violet eyes skimmed over the white sand of the beach, passing over the other crew mates that appeared to be relaxing briefly, before walking in the opposite direction. She finished picking up her midnight blue locks in a low ponytail as she called out once more, "Luffy? Where did you go?"

It was a bright and sunny afternoon when the Straw Hats landed on a new island, hoping to resupply for their journey forward through the Grand Line. The way the ocean currents crashed into the beach created a soothing and serene atmosphere. There were no clouds in the sky, and the breeze was just the right temperature so that it was not too hot or humid.

In many ways, today could be considered a perfect day, and Catherine could not help but notice how quickly Luffy leaped off the side of the ship and landed face first on the beach. She barely saw him sprinting away to an unknown destination followed by Usopp and Chopper. It was not after she changed into more appropriate attire - a simple bikini top with shorts and sandals - that curiosity got the best of her.

"Hey! Catherine!" The familiar voice of her captain entered her ears. Violet eyes looked up in the direction where the voice had come from, smiling as she spotted the dark-haired teen fast approaching her. She did not have time to react as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, embracing her in a tight yet friendly hug, as he grinned. He did not even notice the growing hint of pink forming on her cheeks. "You're finally here!" He exclaimed as he pulled back, keeping his arms around her. "Usopp, Chopper and I made a sand castle! You gotta see it!"

She raised an eyebrow curiously yet smiled nonetheless.

"Y-you made a sand castle?" She inquired, stuttering on her words a bit as her mind kept pointing out the fact that he still had his arms around her. Luffy nodded, oblivious to the fact that she was becoming nervous the longer he held her. "Why are you guys making a sand castle?"

A pout formed on his lips as he glanced upward in thought.

"I dunno," he answered truthfully. "I got bored, and Usopp suggested making sand castles when we landed." He took her hands in his, which unknowingly caused Catherine to blush even more than before. "But we just finished, and I have to show you! It looks so cool!"

Catherine giggled and nodded.

"Alright, alright," she agreed. "I'll go see it."

Cheering excitedly, Luffy began pulling his blue haired companion along in the direction in which the supposed sand castle resided. Since the island they were staying at was not that big - and since both Luffy and Catherine were fast on their feet - it did not take them long to reach the destination. She could not help but wonder what drove the exuberant captain of the Straw Hats to make a sand castle other than suggestions from Usopp. Then again, he was easily excited by the littlest things, so the idea only came as a bit of a surprise to her. Not by much, but enough.

Not long after they departed from the ship, Luffy slowed to a halt and turned to look at her, his grin still evident on his face.

"See? This is our sand castle!" He exclaimed triumphantly, revealing it to Catherine as if it was his greatest accomplishment beneath finding the One Piece. Upon looking at it, however, her mouth was suddenly ajar, and her eyes were widened in complete shock.

"Sandcastle" was an understatement for what she was gazing at, especially after taking a look at it several times just to make sure she was looking at it right. The "sand castle" was enormous, towering over her and Luffy and casting a shadow upon them. Towers stood at four different points, each looking similar to that of medieval times, and she could have sworn there was a flag sticking out of the top of it. A massive "doorway," so to speak, sat in front of her in a seemingly looming manner, and hollowed out windows were at least an inch above where the doorway was. It was unclear to her as to what was inside the "castle," and she was unsure about whether or not she wanted to find out.

"Oh, my..." She could not help but mutter in awe.

"What do you think, Catherine?" Luffy asked happily, earning her attention once more. "Do you like it?"

It took a moment for her to answer, but it did not take long for her to say, "It...looks more like a sand fortress rather than a sand castle, Luffy." She smiled as she placed her free hand on her hip. "But it looks beautiful! You did a fantastic job!"

"Hey, Luffy!" The two looked up to find Chopper sitting atop one of the towers, waving down to them. "Help me convince Usopp that your gonna be king of this castle!"

"No way!" Usopp soon appeared on the opposite tower wearing a cape that he probably pulled from one of the closets. "I'm going to be the ruler of this castle! My blood, sweat and tears went into making this glorious abode!"

Catherine giggled, finding it amusing that the two were arguing over who would rule over a sand castle. Luffy, however, was not going to have any of that, and the pout he put on was evident of that fact.

"Chopper is right, Usopp," he said in an almost serious tone, earning looks from the other three. Soon after, he grinned. " _I'm_ gonna be king of this castle!"

"WHAT?!" Usopp exclaimed in shock while Chopper cheered him on. Catherine merely blinked and remained silent. "WHY YOU?!"

"Well, for starters, since I'm gonna be King of the Pirate, I should be able to have this!" He explained.

"That's not a good reason, Luffy!" Usopp pointed out. "If you're gonna be king of the pirates, then you don't need to be king of this sand castle!"

Luffy's smile fell briefly as he stared at Usopp in deep thought. He, then, stole a glance at a confused Catherine and stared at her for a long moment. It was not long before his grin returned as he looked back at Usopp.

"Alright, then how about this," he started as he raised the hand that still held Catherine's, causing her to become more confused. "I'm gonna be the king because I've got a queen to rule by my side! How does that sound?"

"W-what?!" Catherine stammered nervously, a blushing once again forming on her cheeks. "W-w-when did I become a part of this?"

He chuckled and responded, "Since now."

"That's not fair at all!" Usopp exclaimed. "What if she doesn't want to be _your_ queen?" He gestured to himself. "What if she wants a brave warrior of the sea like myself?"

"U-umm... T-that's okay!" She tried to say, waving her hands in front of her nervously. "I really think I'm okay with-"

"No way! I know she'll pick me without question!" Luffy interjected, earning a look from Catherine.

"How do you know?" She questioned, but he did not seem to hear her.

"I've known her longer than you have, so she'll have no choice but to choose me instead of you!" Closing his eyes, he turned to Catherine and chuckled. "Isn't that right?"

"Guys, look!" Chopper shouted as he pointed forward. "She's running away!"

Luffy opened his eyes to find Catherine no longer standing with him. When he looked over his shoulder, he found her sprinting all the way back to the ship as fast as she could. His jaw dropped in shock.

"H-hey! Catherine, come back!" He called her. "We haven't decided who your king of this sand castle was gonna be!"

"Haha! Now's my chance to convince her!" Luffy looked back in Usopp's direction, only to find him running past him and chasing after Catherine. "She'll definitely pick me once I show her how brave a warrior I am!"

Luffy growled and chased after her as well.

"Oh no, you don't!" He retorted along the way. "She's not gonna choose you!"

Chopper watched from atop the castle, laughing hysterically as the two chased down Catherine, hoping to convince her to become queen of the sand castle. If only they actually realized how disinterested she was, especially after fleeing the scene as quickly as possible.


End file.
